Wednesday, December 17, 2008

My prayers have been answered



Like myself, I know a lot of you guys are huge fans of Saved by the Bell. And if like me, you also loved California Dreams, then this is the announcement you've been waiting for. The show that featured everyone's favorite high school rock band comes to DVD officially on March 31.

I honestly had no hope that this show would ever come to home video. California Dreams has been out of syndication for possibly a decade now, but I still can vividly remember dozens of episodes.

A lot of the this show's storylines mirrored those of Saved by the Bell. Some of my favorite episodes were the one where Tiffany gets steroids from Sly (I loved that one of the main characters knew where to score drugs), the one where Jake has to quit smoking (if you read my Facebook note, all of you can stop leaving comments about that now), and the one where Tony dates a white girl whose parents can't stand the fact that he's black.

All in all, a true television classic on par with the gang from Bayside, just with a music element added. If you haven't seen it before, now's your chance. Here's hoping that enough people buy this that the later seasons get released (cause those are always better).

[ONTD] via
[TVShowOnDVD.com]

Still hoping for a Fresh Prince reunion episode...



I guess this brief photo op shared by Will, Ashley and Carlton will have to suffice. The photo was taken at the premiere of Will Smith's new movie Seven Pounds. The previews look okay, same director as The Pursuit of Happiness, and it seems to share the same spirit. If we could only get the whole gang to get back together in Bel-Air, I would eat my hat.

[ONTD]

EDIT: it's been brought to my attention that I spelled the movie's title incorrectly. I will fix this if I ever watch said movie and I deem that it is indeed worthy of a correction.

Monday, December 15, 2008

Spike 2008 Video Game Awards Results

Last night Spike TV aired their annual Video Game Awards show, an incredibly ridiculous show which featured tons of gorgeous women, a few bands, and a fat guy on a Segway. Doesn't sound too bad on paper, but if you watched the show you know what I'm talking about.

The game of the year went to Grand Theft Auto IV, while Studio of the Year went to Media Molecule, the force behind PS3 exclusive LittleBigPlanet. I generally agree with most of the winners, but I would have definitely put Brawl above Soul Calibur IV for best fighting game. Here's the full list of award winners.

GAME OF THE YEAR

Grand Theft Auto IV

CONSOLE WINNERS

Best Xbox 360 Game: Gears of War 2
Best PS3 Game: LittleBigPlanet
Best PC Game: Left 4 Dead
Best Wii Game: Boom Blox
Best Handheld Game: Professor Layton and the Curious Village

GENRE WINNERS

Best Individual Sports Game: Shaun White Snowboarding
Best Fighting Game: Soul Calibur IV
Best RPG: Fallout 3
Best Shooter: Gears of War 2
Best Team Sports Game: NHL 09
Best Action Adventure Game: Grand Theft Auto IV
Best Driving Game: Burnout Paradise
Best Music Game: Rock Band 2
Best Game Based on a Movie or TV Show: LEGO Indiana Jones

AND THE REST

Studio of the Year: Media Molecule
Best Multi-Player Game: Left 4 Dead
Best Independent Game: World of Goo
Big Name in the Game (Female): Jenny McCarthy
Big Name in the Game (Male): Kiefer Sutherland
Best Performance by a Human (Female): Debbie Mae West
Best Performance by a Human (Male): Michael Hollick
Best Original Score: Metal Gear Solid 4
Best Soundtrack: Rock Band 2
Best Graphics: Metal Gear Solid 4

[Source: Spike VGAs: Here Are Your Spike Video Game Awards Winners @ Kotaku]

LAFCA Votes WALL-E Best Picture of the Year

After listening to IGNs Digigods podcast, hosted by two critics, Wade Major and Mark Keizer, they announced that after a day of voting with the LA Film Critics Association that their choice of picture of the year went to none other then admired animated film WALL-E. This is incredibly notable because animated films usually don't take the Best Picture category. The Runner-Up was The Dark Knight, a super hero movie, which once again usually doesn't take acclaim over "standard" films.

This is a sign that the Oscar for best picture may be one of these two films, but we'll have to wait a bit to find out about all that, but yeah, congrats to WALL-E and The Dark Knight, certainly two of my favorite movies of the year.

Also significant is the Best Actor category which went to Sean Penn for "Milk," which I still haven't seen...

[Source: LAFCA Announces 2008 Award Winners]

Saturday, December 6, 2008

Happy First Birthday Coolkids


Exactly one year ago, four men with a hunger for writing and wittiness banned together to give the internet a piece of their minds. ADONIS, Just Ray, Nazer, and CommanderCacho started the blog entitled, The Coolest Kids In The Room, a no standard, no guideline, no shit place to express opinions. We've dealt with everything from frozen food to politics, with each individual contributing their own special blend of herbs and spices. Readers everywhere have raved about the massive overflow of content on the blog each day, and we've received oodles and oodles of fan mail, something we're all extremely proud of. Lets take a look at some data.


As you can see from the line graph above, we started out incredibly strong, with nearly a post a day. In March we peaked with a record of 41 posts, a most impressive accomplishment for bloggers everywhere. In the later months we drop a bit, and in September we only had a total of 7 posts. But that's okay because...


Over the months our coolness has increased exponentially. In the form of Rock Band multipliers, we've reached a 2048x multiplier of coolness, which in my book is pretty incredible.

So over the course of a year we've totaled 246 posts, and we're still going strong crawling along. We've gone through a slew of cosmetic changes, and our layouts are only improving over time. So thanks for the year guys, lets keep it going. And now for a more traditional entry.

School has been keeping me pretty busy. I'm finally diving deeper into the Film Scoring major, and that includes a LOT of writing (music) as well as learning applications on the computer. I'm surrounded by peers who love film and film music, and I have to say that I've heard some of the greatest music I've ever heard in my life this semester, not only from my peers but even from doing more in-depth research on some of my favorite scores. Projects range from scoring short scenes and doing analysis papers to sitting at a desk and just spilling whatever it is inside of our brains onto paper and hoping brilliant music comes out. It's incredibly difficult and daunting, but its seriously so much fun. For one of my classes, we have to make a mock up (a digital representation) of a minute or so of E.T. Digitally punching in notes for woodwinds, strings, brass, percussion, and so on. It's all really cool, and I'm definitely looking forward to my future semesters to just get more information and to get more work done.

I've also been one of the people at Berklee increasing awareness of Video Game music as a valid genre. The themes of video game music stick in peoples brains forever, and like film, it's an incredibly important component. A guest speaker came, and he stated that some people play WoW for nearly 30 hours a week. As they're playing they listen to music and sound effects in the game for 30 hours. Even for a favorite record, you probably don't listen to that for 30 hours a week, so that's all pretty interesting. I've been working with a few people on audio integration in games, and some of us have been talking to professionals about the importance of music, as well as technical aspects of it all. It's all pretty nerdy shit, but I'm pretty optimistic that by the time I graduate I'll have a good idea on music production in games.

I'm also part of Berklee's video game club band. It's a group of 7 of us, and we make all of our own arrangements. In March we're going to SF to play at the Game Developers Conference, so hopefully there we can get ourselves out there as composers, and meet a bunch of bigger names.

I've been following TV as usual. Pushing Daisies canceled, My Own Worst Enemy canceled, Dirty Sexy Money canceled, all unfortunate events. Heroes is trash, and if you disagree we can argue about it, but I continue to watch because I want it to get better. Bryan Fuller, who worked on Daisies, was a former writer on Heroes, so he's coming back there to help the show out, so hopefully it gets better in Volume 4. This weeks 30 Rock was probably one of the funniest episodes I have ever seen. Some of the shows that have been consistently awesome are Dexter and Chuck, I look forward to them every week.

So I'll be home Friday the 19th at like 9:30PM. Can't wait to see everyone again, get some mexican food, and just chill out. I could probably go on forever, but this seems like a good place to stop. Time to make some food, PEACE

Fight Night: The Dream Match to Save Boxing, Pacquiao vs. De La Hoya


The Thrilla from Manila, Manny Pacquiao, is set to take on boxing legend Oscar De La Hoya this evening in the highly anticipated “Dream Match” that will save boxing, pitting Pacman, the world’s best pound-for-pound fighter, against “The Golden Boy” De La Hoya, who has had his fair share of accomplishments during a long, venerated career in the ring.

Even with the support of an entire nation behind him, the Philippines favorite son faces a daunting task – bulk up to a weight class far past his natural weight, and defeat a much taller, bigger, and experienced opponent in De La Hoya; a fighter who didn’t earn the distinction of being boxing’s Golden Boy overnight. De La Hoya enters the ring tonight as the clear-cut favorite in the matchup, with his larger frame giving him an obvious size and reach advantage over the much smaller Pacquiao.



Despite playing the underdog role, Pacman has been hard at work, training in the mountains, killing grizzly bears and chopping down trees a la Rocky IV style. Meanwhile, De La Hoya has been training hard as well, albeit through a much different approach...

Friday, December 5, 2008

MILK Movie Review and "We pick and choose"

Milk directed by Gus Van Sant
starring Sean Penn
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Sean penn plays Harvey Milk the first openly gay elected to public office in California to the board of supervisors for the city of San Francisco. Milk was a leader of the gay political movement and was elected city supervisor in 1977. He alongside mayor George Mascone were assasinated after only serving eleven months at his position in 1978.

The acting in Milk is on point all around and Sean Penn doesn't dissapoint, but when does he ever dissapoint. Not to mention a cast filled with dope actors like James Franco(Pinneapple Express), Emile Hirsch(Into the Wild) and Josh Brolin(No Country For Old Men). Gus Van Sant does an amazing job in directing this film, the subtle as well as the not so subtle moments keep you on the edge of your seat. Being that this is based on a true story, you know from the start Milk will be assasinated at some point in the film. If your like me who didn't know much about Milk prior to watching this film I must say i came out with a better experience.

Coming from an organizers point of view this movie is inspiring in a multitude of ways. Forget that it is about gay rights for a second. If you replace the obvious gay issues that are evident throughout this film with issues pertaining to any oppressed people it would still make you feel the same way. Angry. Anxious. Disheartened. Inspired. Sad. Proud. Motivated. All these feelings bundled into one amazing movie. Of course you could call me biased since i do consider myself an ally to the Gay community, but i truly believe that regardless of your stance on gay rights you would enjoy this film. Hopefully even be inspired to start questioning your previous notions about homosexuality. I hate to be the "debbie downer" of the cool kids, but the relevance of this issue is evident when considering issues pertaining to gay marriage.

If you want to catch this film and you are in the San Diego Area it will be showing at the...
Landmark Hillcrest
3965 Fifth Avenue
San Diego, CA 92103
(619) 819-0236
...or follow this link to check show times

After all is said and done i give this film 3 FISTS held high.

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To end on a lighter note check this video the Prop 8 Musical courtesy of trish via myspace bulletin.

See more Jack Black videos at Funny or Die


Peace Love and Progressive Mobbin
Just Ray

Friday, November 28, 2008

Ocho Cinco has his priorities straight on Black Friday



Pretty sure it wasn't even on sale at Best Buy, but maybe it was at the store he was at. Obviously, the fuss he caused over a new contract was warranted. Poor guy had to get up before 5 just like the rest of us common folk to get in on some slick deals.

[The Big Lead]

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

CHEERS and JEERS Thanksgiving edition



- JEERS to turkey. Unless it's smothered in gravy, most of time this dry ass bird tastes like you're eating a towel.

- CHEERS to prime rib, rib roasts, duck, and any other alternative protein on Thanksgiving. Much props to the Thanksgiving chef/mom/auntie/uncle who goes above and beyond the traditional fare. Here's my Thanksgiving dinner from two years ago:



Fucking beautiful.

- JEERS to sweet potatoes w/ marshmallows and green beans with crispy onions. These are lame side dishes that smell of laziness. Usually crispy onions come from some can and well, marshmallows are marshmallows. Sorry if you have a special affinity to these items, but I am not a fan.



- CHEERS to mashed potatoes. Double the cheers if those potatoes have garlic in them. Whoever thought up the idea of adding butter and milk to such a simple starch is a genius who will also happen to have a hand in my eventual demise.

- CHEERS to Thanksgiving day football. Is there a better activity to do after eating a large meal than sitting on your ass watching football?

- JEERS to the lame ass matchups year after year. I don't know why the Cowboys and Lions are the traditional Thanksgiving teams that play, but tradition can change. Just like marriage right?!

Friday, November 21, 2008

Video Games LIVE!

I just got back from the Video Games Live concert in Boston. For those who don't know, they take classic video game favorites and orchestrate the music for large orchestra and choir. While playing the music they have video clips of the songs playing in the background, as well as a bit of audience interactivity and crazy laser action.

They played the staples of the industry like Mario, Zelda, and Metroid, but they also threw in a couple of really cool arrangements. Some of my personal favorites were the music to Bioshock, World of Warcraft, and Starcraft II, but if you're a gamer there was plenty for everyone.

The man behind the operation, Tommy Tallarico, is actually one of the most important video game composers in the industry. He started out a long time ago, composing the music for the first Prince of Persia game, and then exploding from there to do the music to huge AAA titles like God of War. He is a Massachusetts native, and earlier in the week he actually came to Berklee to speak about how he got into the industry and the current trends. It was an incredibly informative presentation, and it was just cool to see someone that is so high up on the video game ladder, talk to us about how he paved his way into the industry.

The interactive sections of the concert were awesome. They had a whole Gutiar Hero thing where a contest winner got to play a song from Guitar Hero while the musicians backed him, Ralph Baer, the original creator of PONG, got to play pong on stage with a random audience member while the orchestra played little bits. They pulled a member from the audience, and then gave him a shirt and a controller, and he got to play Space Invaders on the big screen, except he was the ship, so he had to run around while shooting down the ships as the musicians played. It was all pretty incredible. We even got to see Martin Leung, the guy who plays the video game music blindfolded on Youtube, play Final Fantasy music live for us, which was pretty amazing.

In the end it was a night spent with a bunch of peers, eating and drinking, and seeing a really cool concert. Time well spent.

Monday, November 17, 2008

Best Fresh Prince ending EVER!

When i think back to my child hood one sitcom really stands out. That show my friends is the Fresh Prince Of Bel-air. When some folks think of Will Smith they think of Ali, I am Legend, Pursuit of Happiness, etc. Not for me though, its all about the fresh prince. I get clowned on a lot for watching a lot of "black" movies, but no one can deny the genius of the Fresh Prince. Not to mention us brown kids didn't have any shows we could relate to when we were kids and still don't have any till this day. I've been meaning to put this post up for the longest time since a lot of times when we talk about this show this episode always comes up.

WILL SMITH at his BEST


"I had fourteen great birthdays without him, he never even sent me a damn card. TO HELL WITH HIM!"

classic.....classic

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Link Dump: President, Religion, Identity and New Edition



Here's what's going on in Blogfrica:

- On Spontinuity, Brother Sean puts Obama's victory into context the proper way, framed around a Fresh Prince reference: Somebody beat the young Carlton Banks to the punch.

- Over at Not So Small Talk, Kristine tussles with the moral pressures of the Catholic church.

- And at X-tra MEdium, Raf posted a few videos from ABS-CBN's Speak-Out series on Filipino identity. Ray posted one of the same videos here, but there are interesting points made on the comments section over there.

- Finally, at Waltonesque, Kuya Justin landed an EXCLUSIVE interview with the three biggest names from New Edition: Ralph Tresvant, Johnny Gill, and of course, Bobby Brown. The interview covers what brought the three together again and some words of advice for future R&B acts. That is some real access right there, you made it bro!

Top Chef Season 5 Starts Tonight

Coolkids favorite Top Chef airs tonight at 10 PM. It's set in the Big Apple, so make yourself some dinner and sit your ass down to watch one of my personal favorite reality shows on television.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

This commercial makes me want to run through a goddamn brick wall

By now we've all seen this TV spot for Nike every Sunday. The photography, the Ennio Morricone song in the background, everything is spot on. As if you don't see it enough on television, here it is so you can come here every morning to get your blood pumping for the day.

Frustrated

I am still upset at how the voting went towards prop 8. So i just wanted to drop my 2 cents once again on the issue and shed some light on something.

Arguement: Many say that civil unions are the same thing as marriage. So what does it matter?

Question: If you decided to marry someone of a different race than you, but others passed a law saying you werent allowed to, but you could have a civil union just not marriage like same race couples. Would civil unions still be the "same thing?"

Just something to ponder...

"Do on to others as you would want others to do on to you."

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Unbelievable.

I never thought in my lifetime...





California Love

Amidst a historical election between a black man and the walking dead, California voters may get so into the presidential race that it may be easy to forget about legislation happening back home.

Fear not however, because after weeks of anticipation and constant research, I've compiled an in-depth guide to answer any questions regarding what will appear on California's ballot. Due to complex nature and the number of controversial issues surrounding each proposition, this guide is quite dense with information, so I must apologize in advance if it appears overwhelming.

A Cool Kids California Voter's Guide:

Prop 1: Something about super high-speed railways?

Prop 2: Allows chickens and other farm animals to breath, stretch, shake it, before you eat them

Prop 3: I dunno

Prop 4: Requires permission/notification before an abortion

Prop 5: Overhaul of sentencing and rehabilitation for nonviolent drug offenders

Prop 6: Mo money for the Po's

Prop 7: Something about funding green technology... could be wrong

Prop 8: A discriminatory law that takes away fundamental rights.

Prop 9-12: Not sure, lost my booklet.

Some SD Affairs:

Prop B
: Opens up parts of San Diego's waterfront for development

Prop D: Further bans booze on beaches. Boo!

Happy Voting!

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Kristin Chenoweth of Pushing Daisies Sings at Comic-Con

So I'm done with midterms, and while browsing various Myspace's I went to Kengs and saw that he had Somehwere Over The Rainbow as his song. This promptly reminded me of my days at Comic-Con over the summer where Pushing Daisies star Kristin Chenoweth serenaded the crowd out of nowhere with this amazing rendition.

I was in like the 4th row somewhere, simply fantastic. If you're down to see brilliant storytelling, beautiful cinematography, and want to give your ears a gift with more music like this (as well as one of my favorite musical underscores EVER), then watch this show, Pushing Daisies, Wednesday nights at 8:00PM on ABC.

EDIT: There is a very informative article by E Online's Kristin Dos Santos (fellow San Diegan) about the status of Pushing Daisies and what fans can do to save it, good stuff. Read it here.

And if you don't feel like reading an article, this pretty much sums it up.

Yes, this is show business and not show friends.

Yes, multinational corporations tend to favor fat profits over creative indulgences.

And yes, the economy is the tank, so if this world ran on logic alone, ABC would surely chop up Daisies and sell the parts for scrap.

But there is more to life than filthy lucre. I have to believe that the people at Disney-ABC understand the power of enchantment, and that if magic were easy, everyone would do it. The cast and creators of Daisies are making magic and shutting them down would be a travesty at a time when we need all the hope and happiness we can get. Something as unique, beautiful and truly special as Pushing Daisies deserves a second chance.

Do the world a favor and tune in to this show! Tell your friends!

Congratulations Philadelphia



The Philadelphia Phillies beat the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the conclusion of their postponed Game 5 to win the World Series. I guess for Tampa Bay it was more like...postPWNED right? anyone? Fine then...

Cole Hamels is your World Series MVP. Cole is an alumnus of Rancho Bernardo High School. My brother had the honor of watching him play Mt. Carmel during his high school days. I don't think anyone I watched at Nelson and Alexand's football games became famous, but I did get to watch Aaron bodyslam a motherfucker on his head, and I guess that's better than watching a future World Series MVP.

As much as it pains me to watch another team that's not mine hoist a championship trophy, it's nice to see a city that hasn't won in a while finally get it done because I always think that people will think the same thing if we can somehow win a Super Bowl before the Chargers leave San Diego (joke!).

Philadelphia has only been in a "drought" for 25 years though, so if the sports gods feel something is owed to us, I'm sure it's coming soon! Maybe like Philly, it might come in the form of a World Series Championship.







Nevermind...

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Quick Catch Up

To: Adonis, Lance, Ray
From: Nazer

So I just got my absentee ballot in the mail. It came in a big ass envelope full of reading material as well as the actual ballot. I wish I knew more about the city council candidates and such (I don't get to see all the commercials for these guys, but I do get to see all the negative ads about New England council officials), but I guess it's time to do some homework. It's pretty unreal looking at this stuff, finally voting in a presidential election, just another sign that we've come a long way from sitting inside with nothing to worry about except who we want to main in Smash (oh wait we still do that).

In other news school keeps me pretty busy. Midterm week isn't as heavy as one might think, but writing four parallel lines with proper counterpoint in the form of a fugue isn't exactly everyday material. I love my film classes. We're finally getting to write music to picture, and we do a lot of analysis on film music, really informative. A couple weeks ago Joey Newman, a Berklee grad, came to talk about his experiences so far in LA. He was nominated for an Emmy for his music on "Little People, Big World" and he talked about TV a lot, which was a nice change from looking at film all the time. I've also been dealing a bit with the integration of music into video games, and Berklee actually hired a guy and created classes just this semester for this industry, I can't wait to take some of them.

I spend my free time playing video games and watching television and movies. The Mad Men season finale was a couple of days ago which was really good, and if anyone has been keeping up with Dexter this past weeks episode was seriously insane. My favorite shows of the moment are Pushing Daisies (which is on the verge of cancellation, WATCH THIS SHOW TELL YOUR FRIENDS), Chuck, and Fringe, but I've been watching literally everything else (except the CBS shows), and lots of shows are getting really good as well. 30 Rock premieres this Thursday, can't wait for that, and Top Chef comes in a couple of weeks, so that's just another hour and a half to add to my dedicated TV watching time.

I got Guitar Hero World Tour over the weekend. It's a fun game, and I've only played the guitar stuff, but it EPIC FAILS in comparison to Rock Band. The band interface is terrible, and the worst part is that if one person fails, everyone else fails, so you can't like save your band members or anything, but I'll put up a more in depth look at that later. Fable II was cool, and Gears of War 2 comes out next week, and I want to get a Gamefly account so I can play some of the games I don't want to spend $60 dollars for.

So that sort of sums it up. School, media, drinks, oh and I cook a lot now too, trying to learn and perfect my Moms recipes and stuff, so yeah I guess I'm keeping busy. Till next time.

(Oh and Super Street Fighter 2 HD Remix is supposed to come out before the end of this year, and then Street Fighter IV this winter, hella excited)

Monday, October 27, 2008

Lazy Mondays: Wallflowering at the club



The Lazy Monday series is a collection of random observations and updates in my life. Things you can guarantee not to expect: quality and cohesion. Also, the other guy's randomness column had 'Monday' in it, so I thought it was a requirement.

- The great thing about Vegas is no two trips are the same. I speak as if I've been there hundreds of times even though I've only been there twice as a 21 year old and a handful of times in my youth.

Either way, not having to wait in line or pay cover at Tryst thanks to Kuya Warren's magic gave way to awkward dances, standing on the wall, and most importantly, a shitload of drinking and fun having. The best part of the weekend though was beaming with pride as I watched my Kuya Virgil graduate from culinary school with Magna Cum Laude honors. I can only hope I make my family as proud as he did two years from now.

- I don't join clubs or organizations unless you give me a title. I'll take 'Activities Commissioner', 'Hall representative', hell, I'll even take 'Staff Writer'. DO NOT WANT: 'Key Club member', 'band member', 'guy who shows up at events but doesn't really do anything'.

With that in mind, say hello to your new Vice President of the Informatics Student Association. The president and I are going to change the world...okay not really, but if you're in Informatics and you're reading this: please please please come to our events. /end begging

- When I study, I like to fuck priorities in the ass. So before starting the study process for my midterm, I chose to instead work on stuff from other classes instead. Why? For no fucking reason, that's why. I guess I look at it like a boxing or wrestling card. Put all the less important stuff first, then the real showdown begins. Hopefully that showdown starts sometime soon.

- The best part of Halloween is all the girls' slutty costumes the smile on the face of children while Trick or Treating.

- The Chargers are not a very good football team. Well did I lay the jinx down in my last Chargers post or what? "Build on this win" my ass. Thank the football gods for the parity in the AFC West and in the rest of the conference. We still have a chance to make a run. But first, someone get our outside linebackers some steroids. Maybe this guy knows where to find em:

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Mila Kunis Is Awesome

Not to detract from the recent string of serious political posts, but this was just too cool. In her interview on Jimmy Kimmel promoting the movie Max Payne, they go into a tangent about how she plays the oh so dreaded World of Warcraft.

She talks about Vent, being a Mage, being in a Guild, going on raids, the expansion packs, and more. Beautiful woman play video games too, so take this one small moment to be proud and embrace your inner gamer.

Monday, October 20, 2008

Prop 8: Don't Hate

Now I'm going to try and do this without sounding super biased, but to be honest it probably will come out that way. In anyway if your opinion contrasts mine i invite you to check me and express your opinion because all opinions are valid. I especially welcome any facts that i might be missing so feel free to remind me of that. Unless intended to maliciously attack me, which will not be well received. Let us remember people that we should try an attack the idea not the person.



Enough disclaimer bs and hand holding on to the good stuff...

The spark:

I woke up this morning and went to church and to my surprise their were multiple signs promoting voting yes on Prop 8, right in front of the doors of the Church. (Voting yes on prop 8 will in a nut shell disallow same sex couples to marry in the state of California.) While I really shouldn't be surprised about how the catholic community feels about gay marriage i was none the less bewildered by all of it. If people want to vote YES on prop 8 i feel that they are entitled to do so. However, when the church gets involved in politics my mental alert goes...WTF! Aside from the whole idea of separation of church and state, i just feel that it is a bit unfair of the church to put these signs up.

How I (emphasis on I) Feel:

Realistically not ALL catholics agree with voting yes, i being one who believes that marriage between same sex couples is all good with me. I sat through mass thinking about this, which in a lot of ways distracts me from what was even going on and what the priest was talking about. I think that for the church to assume that all of its parish believes that gay marriage is wrong is kind of condescending. As if we can't think for ourselves. As i said earlier i am not surprised that the church is in favor of prop 8, but was it so necessary to blatantly put it out there like that. I think that as a catholic i am well aware of what the church views as right and wrong. Why not put up signs of fight the war on terrorism in the name of GOD. Or better yet, abortion related images intended to remind church goers what to believe in. Ok sure Yes on Prop 8 signs aren't that bad, but you get my point. I guess it could be a lot worse, the signs could read vote McCain and Palin. Sorry i had to throw that in there, no offense if you disagree.

Reality:

The church isn't going to change anytime soon and i really don't expect this to happen either. The reality is that marriage is a patriarchal institution that has been analyzed as being oppressive to women. My honest opinion is fuck marriage it is something that is just socially constructed like race and a lot of time sexuality. However it doesn't mean that the issues surrounding marriage, race and sexuality aren't real. I feel as though the "straight" world can't even get marriage right, even heterosexual catholics fuck up marriage. i.e. divorce, domestic violence, infidelity and so on and so on. So if marriage is so sacred between a man and a women why do they keep fucking it up. Oh am i hitting some nerves, i'm sorry but it is the truth. I am not discounting marriages that do work out i am just bringing out the reality that some if not most do not. It isn't to say either that if the gay community has the right to marry they would do marriage any better. But lets stop fronting like marriage is this sacred thing and we need to protect it from "the gays" because a "breeders" we can't even protect it from ourselves.

Apology?:
At first i was going to apologize for being such a debbie downer lately, but fuck that i shouldn't have to. Although i'll apologize if i hurt any feelings, but shit i can't please everyone. This could go two ways this post will either be ignored or it will spark some interesting conversation. I'm rooting for convo. Oh and before you even think about saying anything ignorant/inappropriate/straight fucked up remember to own what you say because nothings worse than someone who can't backup what they say went it really matters.

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Either way you look at it love is a beautiful thing...

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Nicotine, Fear and Solidarity

To: Lance, Nazer, Adonis and affiliates
From: Just ray



I wasn't sure where to post this, but after reading lance's recent post I felt it made sense to put it here immediately after. I won't pretend as if I know a lot about politics, but in a lot of ways I do keep myself informed of generally whats going on. Quite honestly i don't think i have to flat out say who i will be voting come november. My background alone should give a reasonable answer to the question of "who are you voting for?" That being said, a McCain presidency truly scares me. Especially lately with all the ignorance and pure hatred that is directed towards Obama.

Truth is the stigma towards obama has always been there, news casters and political experts can argue that race has not played a factor in this election. But thats all bull shit, because it clearly has played a large factor at least in my eyes. I wont quite get into all that, but if you want to hear what i think just ask me another time.

What i really would like to get at is the fear that comes full circle all across the board. It is obvious that recent ads about Obama and Ayers clearly instilled fear into blue collar white America. Even watching the video below, where the elderly woman says she has been reading about Obama and he is "an arab" scares the shit out of me. There is kind of a dual reaction i think to all of these things. The fact that people can actually begin to believe that Obama is in fact a terrorist puts chills down my spine. It also just shows the stigma to folks of middle eastern heritage. As if the big bad "arabs" are out to get you. I know what we could do lets tell are children stories that arabs hide in your closet while you sleep and under your bed too!!!

Folks like to talk about the civil rights movement and equality between all people as if everything is all good now. As if after the 60s and 70s we all of a sudden started holding hands and singing a whole new world together. Lets be real for a second folks. Race is an issue as of today so stop acting like it isn't.
I do however give McCain a bit of credit for "defending" Obama. ALthough it was just a bit to late for all of that. Fear and racism have a sort of snowball effect. Picking up every ignorant person along the way and fusing them with stupidity.

The main thing that bothers me really is the fact that everyone seems to put a lot of pressure on Obama. Obama promises change through out his speeches, however even if he were to become president the responsibility doesn't solely rely on him. We as a nation have to take action ourselves. We can't expect him and his administration to carry all the weight. We have to lighten the load and do our parts as well. For fear of getting to carried away and ranting for way to long heres a new piece from your friendly neighborhood poet-

Nicotine, Fear and Solidarity


A lot of people ask
Why it is that I smoke
And I know
That it is a bad habit
That I need to kick

But personally
I’m not quite ready yet,

See while I’m slowly killing
Myself grit after grit

I would rather be inhaling the
Nicotine
Rather than drowning in the
Hatred

That lingers in the air
And comes and goes like the wind

And can damage your soul
The way earthquakes
Damage the earth
Like some form of
Cruel and unusual
Punishment

Punishing my future children
For simply being themselves

And I am greatful for every scar
On my skin
Because it reminds me
That I am capable of feeling something

Something rather than being numb
Numb to my senses
Numb to the pain that motivates
Me in every single solitary way

And as my heart grows heavy
I hope for a better day
But the truth is I’m walking towards it,
but every step I take it seems even farther
Away….

We fear the unknown
We fear the other
And it has us questioning

Lost human connection
Through conversation
Leave it all up to
text messaging

I hate that even though
My ancestors are island people
I am generalized as being
Chinese or Mexican

The media fuels the flame
Towards chinky eyes
And brown skin

While magazine covers
Encourage our beautiful women
To be thin

While fox news criticizes
A black candidate
On the basis of his name

Quick to jump the gun
Point a finger
And redistribute
The blame

Blame the government
All you want

When universally as a
Whole we could care less
About our health

So fuck those
Who claim their
Down for redistribution
Of wealth

When we as a people
Can hardly organize
And redistribute
ourselves

When shit goes down
We look to the highest
On the ladder

Instead of standing at the bottom
Looking each other and asking
What the hell really matters?

To afraid to dialogue
With one another,
When we need to
Figure out what’s been
wrong all along

Fighting a war on terror
In the name of god

Muslims against prejudice
all praise due to Allah

Its not that I don’t
support our military troops,
But even more
I support our underprivileged
Illitary youth

Some complain that
We have hardly have classes
Addressing people of color

Even though the support
Is hardly their from my
Sisters and my brothers

While our parents
Only solution
Is to pray for peace

When it seems as though
It becomes so helpless
That God needs to bend his knees
And start fucking praying for me

I am positively
Desperate for
A more positive me

But were too intimidated
Of our potential as a collective
Afraid of what
we could possibly be

We as a people need to
Educate, organize and mobilize
In solidarity

Fuck relying on the few
When what we need
Is many

Fuck mountains out of mole hills
Cuz all we doin’ is digging
Holes we can’t get out of
Because shits too deep

Fuck dodge commercials
Because a ignorant white girl
Told me and my friends
“Go back where you came from
This is my country”

Fuck hiding behind the crosses
We wear around our necks
Because it wont protect us from
The monsters in our sleep

I hope for the day
I can stop worrying
That my children
Will be called,
CHINKS
GOOKS
BITCHES
HOS
NIGGAS
SPICKS
BEANERS
DIKES
MONKEYS
FAGGOTS

As they walk down the street

Give me a call when your ready to make a REAL change
Because for now leave me alone and let me smoke my cigarette in PEACE.

-Just Ray

Sunday, October 12, 2008

McCain's supporters are not helping the cause



This was just this past Friday. It's somewhat hilarious and somewhat disturbing. Some of the press drew the conclusion that this kind of sentiment from McCain supporters is the result of the recent ads like this one, highlighting Obama's relationship with domestic terrorist Bill Ayers.



However rooted in truth the ad is, (and I have no doubt that it is indeed quite truthful) the tone of the commercial inspires fear. The kind of fear that causes that embarrassing town hall clip from last Friday.

I understand the campaign is trying to swing voters, and quick snippets that show Obama and terrorism go hand-in-hand may accomplish that. But if you run the rest of your campaign on fear, and attempt to gather the momentum of an angry mob, you might as well can these kinds of rallies and town hall functions where your supporters will make asses of themselves.

I know that a lot of McCain supporters are not like the ones in that CNN video, but at the same time, it's those kinds of people honestly scare the shit out of me.

This election is by far the most fascinating one of our young lifetimes and I was a lot more undecided than most people (hell, it took me two years to declare a major remember?). If any of you guys are still undecided or need that quick rundown of some of the bigger (and not so big) issues, I'll try to have a Candidate Dealmaker/Dealbreaker post by the end of the week.

I feel sorry for whoever sits behind me in class

My new wallpaper:



A very satisfying win, a victory that I finally think we can build on. I think the best part of tonight's game was watching CoolKids favorite, Jamal Williams, tear up New England's offensive line. Our boy looks like he's finally at full strength, and hopefully our defense will be able to revolve around his greatness once again.

At this point, I would like to promise more posts, but I won't because I know they probably won't be coming. Hell, I bet no one reads this anymore, who cares. COCK BALLS SHIT FUCK DOOHICKEY SEX MILF WHORE LOOSEY SKEET SKEET!

[Kissing Suzy Kolber]

Thursday, October 2, 2008

DOUCHE BAG!!!!

We should have moreno vs. judd BRO OFF!

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

HAPPY BIRTHDAY...

to DRANT!



Tuesday, September 30, 2008

The Cool Kids love sleeping

Urban dictionary
Defines sleeping as:
To masturbate furiously in your room while praying that your grandma doesn't come in.

GET OUT GRANDMA! I was sleeping.
Those were sleeping noises grandma.


I think thats shits funny

Sunday, September 28, 2008

Sunday Morning

To: Ray, Adonis, Lance
From: Nazer

9:53 AM. Thinking about going to church, not too sure yet, the rain might get crazy. That's what bugs me about this city, well along with the weird accents and absurd liquor laws, the amount of rain I've seen in my time up here has been simply ridiculous. A couple weeks ago it was sunny as hell, then while walking home from class a storm comes and everyone, including me, gets owned by the wrath of nature; not exactly what I'd call a good afternoon.

Going out to buy groceries or pick up a six pack involves a complicated string of thoughts: what kind of sweater/jacket do I have to put on, will my umbrella be able to take this, is it cool to walk around with these shoes in those puddles, etc. It's tedious, but it's necessary, unless you're down to get wrecked by weather.

Besides all that, school is awesome. Classes are pretty challenging, which is good, and it's nice to talk about music, in a college, snobbish, geeky way, once again. My roommates are chill, but I gotta loosen these guys up a bit, they're not quite on that singing Green Day on the karaoke machine while spending hundreds of dollars on Soju level yet, but in time we'll get there.

I've been watching a ton of TV and that keeps me pretty busy. Tonight alone we have Mad Men, the season premiere of Dexter, Desperate Housewives, Brothers & Sisters, True Blood, Entourage, The FOX comedies, and I didn't even include football, so I have no idea what I'm going to do about that tonight, but we'll see. This new Ne-Yo cd isn't very good at all, kind of disappointed but whatever, and the Rock Band 2 setlist is fun as hell to play.

One month in, and I guess I can say that I'm comfortable. I'm keeping up on all my school work while simultaneously juggling many hours of TV, with movies and video games, while still enjoying myself. I've been cooking a lot too, which is fantastic because I can spend 5 bucks on a steak and have that last me 3 meals, same thing with a pack of chicken breasts. Me and my asian roommate are planning to take a trip to chinatown so I can pick up some lumpia wrapper so all these fools can eat it all, but once again we'll see. Maybe more next week, what's going down with you guys?

(Yeah I'll post when I feel like it)

Thursday, September 18, 2008

This is why Rock Band was invented...



Then again, this is why cover bands are still great:

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Coming to my wardrobe soon...



Nazer, I will give you $20 to wear this shirt around town.

[Deadspin]

Thursday, September 4, 2008

5 Reasons Why I Have a Boner for the NFL



Football season is finally here. Earlier tonight, the Giants beat the Redskins, and I happened to beat myself off during the whole game. Football is the best and here's why:

5. Cheerleaders




I was at this game, and yes, it was wonderful.

4. Spectacular Catches



Awesome. And for good measure:



3. Big Hits



I remember jumping out of my seat and screaming like a motherfucker when that happened. Watch the whole video for the japanese commentators.

2. Fantasy Football

Two very accurate descriptions of me are 1) a nerd, and 2) a football fan. Fantasy Football is what happens when you combine the two. I'm in at least four leagues this year and God knows I'll end up last in pretty much all of them, but boy do I feel blessed when I can watch a football game AND do math in my head.



1. The San Diego Chargers

I love San Diego, and I love San Diego sports. No one makes me prouder of this place, and no one represents this city better than a 'roided up, unstoppable linebacker, a fiery quarterback who talks too much shit, and the best running back in the league who got a little emo when he got hurt in the playoffs.

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

...And Away We Go

To: Lance, Ray, Adonis
From: Nazer

I don't mind plane rides anymore. Actually I haven't for a while now. Whenever people talk about airlines you always hear about lost luggage, crappy food, boring programming, and while all of those in fact do occur, I guess I've grown accustomed to them all.

After a long, long summer in San Diego, it's finally time to head back east, to a place where Boston sports rule the world, and mexican food (at least the way we like it) is non existent. It was an incredibly enjoyable summer, basically the ultimate four month vacation. I had my fair share of my three staples, good food, good music, and good company. Happy hour wherever in the afternoon then Santanas at night put a fat dent in my wallet and bank account, but the laughs along the way make it all worth it. Celebrating a ton of 21st birthdays, all with their own crazy stories, plus Irvine trips and Comic-Con help to complete the package.

But what did I get done in terms of work over Summer? One could say absolutely nothing. I watched a bunch of movies and television shows, listened to a ton of music, fooled around with software and played more piano this summer than I have in, well, forever. The balance of fun to (what I call) work resembled a one-sided seesaw this Summer, but honestly it doesn't really matter. We may be in college, we may be trying to forge our way into a stumbling economy, and even though our IDs say we're adults, we're still kids. We talk about video games, we fill our mouths with junk food, and I love it. I figure while we're still in school, live it up, the harsh and unavoidable real world will come eventually.

I'm looking forward to being back in the city. Being able to walk literally everywhere is a luxury that you learn to appreciate, and with the overwhelming amount of heat down here some cold air will be gladly accepted. So good luck in school, to Lance Ray and Raeizon go wild this week, and I'll see you all this holiday season, thanks for the good times.

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Taking the 'Disney boner' thing way too far.



Can't say I've watched the entire thing all the way through, but it's obvious we weren't the only ones fancying these hand-drawn babes.

[The Internet is Terrible]

BEST WEEK EVER COMING SOON!

I think with the help of some video experts (oliver/erwin) I plan on making a short documentary on 2008's biggest event of the year!
Photobucket

Gentlemen prepare yourself!

Coming soon
August 29th - September 27th
see you in hell

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

2008 TV Preview: NBC

I've a TV fanatic so I'll be doing previews of the major networks lineups as well as additional comments on my favorite shows. If you missed my preview for FOX it's right below this post, but today I'll be focusing on NBC.

For a while the only thing NBC had that people would actually watch was Law & Order and ER. This left them with the worst ratings amongst the big four, but recently they've retaliated. In the past few years they became home to probably the best comedy night on TV, and a few other shows directed at audiences like ourselves with programs like Heroes, Friday Night Lights, and just this past year with Chuck. Their lineup for the Fall is fairly strong, and I'm looking forward to it.

MONDAY
8:00: Chuck / Sep 29
Another show entering its sophomore year after a shortened first season. This show picked up a ton of buzz this season. When it was at Comic-Con two years ago no one really had any expectations for it, but after a year there was a huge line just to see a Q&A with the cast. I didn't watch the show when it aired, but after watching it this summer I have to say that it caught me. With a very likable cast including Zachary Levi, Yvonne Strahovski, Joshua Gomez, Adam Baldwin, Sarah Lancaster, and Captain Awesome, watch Chuck, a nerd turned spy in one night, deal with the realization of his new life in this fun, enjoyable show.

9:00: America's Toughest Jobs (NEW)
"Average" people join a competitive show in which they undergo "incredibly dangers and physically demanding" jobs. The winner is apparently awarded with the salary of each completed job. Sounds interesting and I guess it could be fun to watch, but you probably won't hear me talking about it. This will air until Heroes returns.

9:00: Heroes / Sep 22
This show is really on the fence for many. Taking on a sort of Prison Break effect in which people fall in love with the characters and develop a fanboy style attachment, but after it all one must admit that the overall wasn't very good. It started with an awesome first season, and then an incredibly disappointing second, we'll see if the third can once again pull us into the world of super heroes. The trailer looks pretty interesting, but I've heard bad things about the pilot, but we'll have to see for ourselves.

10:00: My Own Worst Enemy (NEW) / Oct 13
The commercials for this show are hilarious. "Watch Christian Slater as Henry, watch Christian Slater as Edward!" What the hell? Henry Spivey lives an ordinary suburban lifestyle while Edward Albright is a high profile individual who is a killer, speaks multiple languages, and so on, but they share the same body!!! Somehow the internal wall in the mind breaks down and the personalities begin to blur. "Who can you trust when you can't trust yourself?" I guess we'll find out.

TUESDAY
8:00: The Biggest Loser: Families / Sep 16
Probably the most American show on television, the Biggest Loser is a competition in which overweight people compete to loser pounds. At the end of the show the contestants go to a weigh in, and the team with the least pounds lost is cut. We've all seen this before, but this time it's with families!!! This show is okay, it can be inspiring at times, especially when they put a shit load of fried chicken on a plate and then they're like "this is what you used to eat," and the contestants cringe. If you're a reality fan go for it.

10:00: Law & Order: SVU / Sep 23
It's Law & Order, but with sex crimes. I don't really follow this show, but whenever I do watch it it's always pretty interesting.

WEDNESDAY
8:00: Knight Rider (NEW) / Sep 24
I really wasn't expecting to like this show, but I was pleasantly surprised after watching the pilot. It should appeal to the same audience of Chuck fans, with comedic elements paired with intense action and a story line that's borderline cheesy but still manages to stay interesting. The show takes place 25 years after the original David Hasselhoff Knight Rider and takes a modern twist on the original idea. They make some cool tie-ins to the original, and in my opinion it's worth checking out.

9:00: Deal or No Deal / It's on already
I hate this show. Watch Bobby's World talk on the phone with Dr. Claw while people watch models hold cases with numbers inside of them. For whatever reason this pulls in so many viewers making a majority of NBCs ratings.

10:00: Lipstick Jungle / Sep 24
I've never seen an episode of this. A Sex and the City rip-off, but apparently not as good. Watch Brooke Shields, Kim Raver, and Lindsay Price navigate the New York business world as three powerful woman. Hooray.

THURSDAY
8:00: My Name Is Earl / Sep 25
I've never really caught on to this show, but it's been going on for a few seasons and whenever I do watch it its been funny.

8:30: Kath & Kim (NEW) / Oct 9
Described as "a contentious relationship of a dysfunctional mother-daughter duo in middle-class suburbia" this is a remake of an Australian comedy. It has Molly Shannon as Kath Day and Selma Blair as Kim Day, so I might watch a couple episodes because I think Molly Shannon is hilarious.

9:00: The Office / Sep 25
If you're a fan this doesn't need explaining. This show is really hit and miss for me. Everyone once in a while they have a truly hilarious episode (last years Dinner episode), but more often than not they have Steve Carell and Rainn Wilson driving their cars into lakes because of their GPS system, retarded. Believe me, I want to like this show, but sometimes it's just too ridiculous.

9:30: SNL: Weekend Update (NEW)
A place holder until 30 Rock returns, the familiar comedy sketch takes on the 2008 presidential election.

9:30: 30 Rock / Oct 30
I fricken love this show. Watch coolkids favorite Tina Fey play the role of a female TV writers who tries to control the madness behind the scenes of TGS. If you're looking for a solid 30 minutes of comedy this comes highly recommended, and in my opinion the best comedy on TV right now.

10:00: ER / Sep 25
Entering it's 15th and FINAL SEASON. I've never really followed ER (no shit I'd have to have started watching when I was six years old) but it's always been entertaining, and since it's entering it's last season look forward to guest stars from previous seasons to return and give this show a worthwhile goodbye.

FRIDAY
No one watches TV on Friday, but of course NBC has faith in its shows so they're airing a new show entitled Crusoe (Oct 17), more Deal or No Deal, and then sophomore show Life (Sep 29).

SATURDAY
NBC airs Dateline, Knight Rider repeats and Law & Order repeats. And then SNL (Sep 13).

SUNDAY
7:00: Football Night In America

8:30: NBC Sunday Night Football
The only time I get to watch the Chargers

MIDSEASON
They have a new show called Kings, and then Medium returns (who watches this show?) and then if you don't catch Friday Night Lights on DirectTV it should air on NBC in the winter.

And that concludes NBCs TV lineup. The shows I'll follow are Chuck, Heroes, possibly My Own Worst Enemy, Knight Rider, Lipstick Jungle (just kidding), The Office, 30 Rock, and then Friday Night Lights, but I'll probably just download that instead of waiting till January.

Monday, August 25, 2008

2008 TV Preview: FOX

As summer comes to a close and a fall starts to creep in, the 2008 television season begins. I'll be doing previews every few days by network with my impressions of the daily lineup as well as thoughts and coverage on pilots and returning shows. We'll start today with FOX.

Fox is in a unique position coming into 2008. While their ratings still stay strong with the almighty American Idol, they were hit hard due to the Writers Strike which left shows like 24 completely unseen. They have a ton of shows returning, including their Sunday night comedies featuring The Simpsons and Family Guy, so frequent Fox viewers should look forward to more of the same, with the exception of one very welcome show.

DAY
TIME: Show / Premiere Date

MONDAY
8:00: Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles / Sep 8
This is one of the many shows from last year that are receiving a sophomore season pickup. Because of the writers strike a lot of shows were left with shortened seasons, but 2008 is a chance for these shows to see if they can really pull in the audience they were expected to. This show was up against the likes of Bionic Woman, which will not be returning, and pulls in an action / sci-fi loving crowd as well as those who just like Summer Glau. I didn't watch this show when it originally aired, but I watched in its entirety a couple weeks ago and it's pretty good. The show received a hefty budget increase so the visual effects and insane action that we love from any Terminator title can finally come forth in this show. It follows the life of Sarah Connor (Lena Headey), having to make sure her son John Connor (Thomas Dekker) can one day save the world from Skynet. If you're a fan of any of the above mentioned it's worth checking out, and if you haven't seen the first season it's probably worth renting the DVDs before you jump in.

9:00: Prison Break / Sep 1
Returning for another season, get ready to watch Michael Scofield (tattooed Wentworth Miller) run around again. To tell you the truth I've stopped following this show after two lackluster season finales, but it obviously has a strong following (Judd) so it's back again. It's not a bad show at all, I've just lost touch with it. If you're into this, by all means keep watching.

TUESDAY
8:00: House / Sep 22
One of Fox's most prized shows, House returns for another season of mysterious hospital cases, all labeled as "House's biggest complication yet." The show had an amazing fourth season, taking a twist with the typical formula and throwing in a new team for Dr. House, but keeping the old cast close enough to develop worthwhile story plots. Hugh Laurie is awesome in this show, and it's a solid hour of entertainment, so if you're a fan look forward to another full season.

9:00: Fringe (NEW) / Sep 9
From LOST creator JJ Abrams, this show revolves around Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv) a FBI agent who gets herself into a case of mass extremities. Passengers in a flight from Germany to Boston become exposed to a chemical which leaves everyone on the plane dead. During the investigation, Agent John Scott (Mark Valley), Dunham's partner, is left nearly dead after an incident, which leaves Dunham is a great state of urgency. After digging deeper she finds one of the worlds most brilliant scientists Dr. Walter Bishop (John Noble), but he has been locked in a mental institution for many years. To get in touch with Walter, Dunham locates his son Peter (Joshua Jackson) for help. As events unfold Dunham is lead to a corporation that specializes in pseudo science (aka Fringe science), and after a few twists and turns she realizes that the events of Flight 627 are only a small piece of a collective puzzle that will eventually lead to things much more riveting. The 90 minute pilot is incredibly compelling, and fans of Abrams's work will once again be pleased by the level of quality this show offers. An awesome fit for Fox viewers, this is definitely one to check out.

WEDNESDAY
8:00: Bones / Sep 3
I've never actually seen a full episodes of this show, and this season I most likely won't watch one either. It's entering it's fourth season so there's a following somewhere, but yeah I don't know anyone who watches this. It follows a scientist who can read victims bones for clues, sounds cool.

9:00: 'Til Death / Sep 10
This Fox comedy is entering it's third season. I don't think I've seen a full episode of this, so it might be funny, might not be, who knows. All I know is I'm usually watching LOST or something during this time slot. It has the big dude from Everybody Loves Raymond in it so there's probably some good laughs, and since it's returning for its third season it most likely has some solid moments.

9:30: Do Not Disturb (NEW) / Sep 12
Imagine Suite Life of Zack & Cody without Zack & Cody and this is basically what you get, a comedy featuring the staff of a supposedly high profile hotel. The pilot was so-so, with everything from racial jokes to fat jokes to gay jokes and so on. The first five minutes were joke one right after the other which was pretty boring but down the line it picked up a bit. Not a baaad show, but there's certainly better out there if you're looking for a comedy.

THURSDAY
8:00: Moment of Truth / Hole In The Wall (NEW) / Sep 16
Some weird ass game show where you commit to a lie-detector test while people ask you questions. I think you get money after that or something.

Hole In The Wall is a play off of Japanese Human Tetris.  These shows will most likely switch around depending on popularity amongst viewers.

9:00: Kitchen Nightmares / Sep 11
The Hell's Kitchen guy goes to messed up restaurants and fixes them or something. Has anyone seen this? Does he yell at people in this show? Fill me in.

FRIDAY
No one watches TV friday, but if you're wondering at 8:00 you get Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader (surprisingly humorous) and at 9:00 Don't Forget the Lyrics (you can see this shit on TFC)

SATURDAY
Fox shows episodes of COPS and Americas Most Wanted.

SUNDAY
On Sunday you get THE OT (a play on words of THE OC LOLOLOLZ) after football, and then Fox's comedy lineup which never really disappoints.

8:00: The Simpsons / Sep 28
Doesn't need explaining. Those who are fans will continue to be fans and those looking for a few Sunday night laughs won't be disappointed.

8:30: King of the Hill / Sep 28
This show is funny, "Dammit Bobby!" lol

9:00: Family Guy / Sep 28
Freaken hilarious!

9:30: American Dad / Sep 28
Missed the boat

MIDSEASON
In January shows will most likely shift times and some may get cancelled when American Idol and 24 return, but here's what you should look out for.

American idol / Jan 2009
Americas favorite fricken show which brought us amazing artists like Clay Aiken and Elliott Yadadadamin returns for its 8th season but this time there's a twist! They're bringing in a FOURTH JUDGE (OH SHIt!!!) Grammy-nominated songwriter Kara DioGuardi. She wrote for artists such as Carrie Underwood and Ashlee Simpson, and if my inside source (wikipedia) is correct she also wrote beloved summer jam What You Got by Colby Odonis! She is said to bring more GIRLPOWER to the show, because Simon and Randy Jackson are sooooo manly.

24 / Jan 2009
One of the most sought after shows on television, 24 is finally returning this year. The show follows Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) as he finds terrorists and kills bad guys (a common plot around FOX). This shows previous season was horrible, and then there was the writers strike, so it's been nearly two years since we've seen a good episode of 24, so I'm pretty excited for its return.

Dollhouse (NEW) / Jan 2009
From the creator of Buffy, Firefly, and some version of the Xmen comics (astonishing xmen I think) comes Dollhouse. This show follows Eliza Dushku, amongst others who are a group of "actives" or "dolls." These dolls can have everything in them erased, from thoughts to muscle memory, and can then have any persona implemented into them. During the show apparently she becomes self aware of what's happening to her and goes after the "controllers" or the Dollhouse. Sounds like a Whedon show, haven't seen it, I'll let you know when I do.

Hell's Kitchen / Jan 2009
The guy yells at people, I've never seen a full episode.

And that concludes the FOX TV preview. The shows I'll actually follow up on are Sarah Connor Chronicles, House, 24, maybe Dollhouse, and the brand new Fringe, but there's plenty here to watch. Look forward to the next preview later this week.